ROLE OF POTASSIUM AND SALINITY EFFECTS ON GROWTH AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS OF DATE PALM PLANTLETS

A greenhouse pot experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of salinity and potassium at different levels alone or in various combinations on growth, mineral and proline content in leaves of plantlets of Phoenix dactylifera L. cv. Bartomouda (in vitro production, two years old from acclimatized them). The following treatments were applied: three levels of salinity Na Cl + Ca Cl2 w.w 2:1 (14000, 16000 and 18000 ppm.) and two levels of potassium (2000 and 3000 ppm) in addition to control (no salts or potassium used), salts and potassium were added in the irrigation water. In general, all levels of salinity significantly decreased various growth parameters such as plant height, number of leaves and roots, root length, fresh and dry weights of leaves than that of the control. These parameters were decreased with increasing salinity levels, whereas it, significantly increased Na, Ca and K contents in leaves with high content of proline. The treatment 18000 ppm salts gave the highest significant reduction of the growth parameters, while caused an increase in proline Na, Ca, and K contents compared to control treatment (no salts) . This was true in both seasons. The applications of potassium significantly increased the previous growth parameters as compared with the control treatment (without salts and potassium) the treatment 3000 ppm had the highest results. Moreover the applications of potassium gave high alleviated the negative effects of salt stress, the treatment 3000 ppm gave the best results on the growth parameters of date palm plantlets grown under salinity condition . Regarding the interaction the obtained data revealed that the interaction between treatment 3000 ppm potassium and 14000 salts produced the highest significant results. Generally, from the obtained results it can conclude that the plantlets of date palm produced by tissue culture can be tolerated salt stress by addition of potassium which can significantly ameliorate the harmful effects of salts, positive effects on the growth parameters of the plantlets was showed by potassium applications.